克氏原螯虾虾螯重量的性别差异及影响因素OA

The red swamp crayfish(Procambarus clarkii)is a globally important freshwater crustacean species of great economic importance.Chelae,the key appendages of decapods,are integral to critical behaviors including foraging,defense against predators,and intraspecific interactions.Their morphological characteristics closely reflect growth performance and reproductive potential,serving as vital indicators in germplasm evaluation.Current methods for determining chela mass primarily relies on excised-weight measurement,which causes physical damage and precludes in vivo evaluation.Developing non-destructive estimation methods based on external morphology has become imperative for industrial practice and fundamental research.Although previous studies have established basic morphological parameters,a comprehensive analysis of the relationships between chela mass,its segmental composition,and other body traits between sexes remains insufficient.We used multidisciplinary statistical approaches to examine chela mass composition and its morphological correlations in P.clarkii.The methodology included detailed descriptive statistics and correlation,path,and determination coefficient analyses.Specific measurements encompassed:chela segment masses(A1‒A5:dactylus,propodus,carpus,merus,ischium);total chela mass(W);body weight(Y);and morphological dimensions including body length(X1),chela length(X2),cephalothorax length(X3),cephalothorax width(X4),abdomen length(X5),and abdomen width(X6).All analyses were conducted separately for both sexes to identify potential dimorphic patterns.The primary findings showed significant sexual dimorphism in trait relationships.Males exhibited an elevated coefficient of variation in chela mass,suggesting enhanced phenotypic plasticity,whereas females displayed superiorly stable morphological characteristics.Correlation analysis identified significant positive relationships of chela mass with body weight and with chela length and other traits,with the strength of these correlations differing between sexes.Path analysis elucidated distinct control mechanisms between the sexes:chela length and body weight were the primary direct factors influencing chela mass in males,whereas chela length was the primary determinant in females.Among chela segments,the propodus(A2)consistently had the greatest direct effect on total mass.Furthermore,although we detected no significant bilateral asymmetry in mass allocation was detected,the path models revealed subtle differences in how the left and right chelae develop.These results systematically delineate the growth patterns and sexual differentiation mechanisms underlying chela morphology in P.clarkii.The identification of key traits and their complex interrelationships enables construction of accurate,sex-specific regression equations for non-destructive chela mass estimation.This study provides practical applications for breeding and live-body evaluation and profound insights into life-history strategies and ecological adaptation.The findings further our understanding of trade-offs in energy allocation between reproduction and competition in this ecologically and economically important species.Future studies should focus on elucidating the genetic mechanisms governing these trade-offs and validating model robustness across diverse environmental conditions.